2016 WEEK 1 A-TOWN FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK
REGIS JESUIT (1-0) AT MULLEN (1-1)
Sept. 9, 7 p.m., Brother Bernard Kinneavey de La Salle Stadium
Live game stream, here
BREAKDOWN: The second A-Town Game of the Week — presented by the Aurora Sentinel and StreamItSports — provides the next chapter in the battle of parochial school rivals Regis Jesuit and Mullen, which will meet at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 at Brother Bernard Kinneavey de La Salle Stadium on Mullen’s Denver campus. The teams will square off for the sixth time in the past seven seasons and the Raiders have enjoyed the success in the series of late with victories in 2013 (45-19), 2014 (48-40) and last season (23-17), though the Mustangs won with the biggest stakes (a 37-6 victory in the 2010 5A state championship game) and also 35-7 in 2012.
REGIS JESUIT: Coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders posted one of the most remarkable victories of the opening week of the season, a 19-7 defeat over longtime nemesis Cherry Creek in front of a packed house at Lou Kellogg Stadium. Regis Jesuit got off to a flying start with a touchdown on its opening possession, as junior QB Justin Lamb — in his first varsity start — got the Raiders going and junior running back DJ Jackson finished it off with a lengthy scoring run. Lamb, who rushed for the go-ahead score in the third quarter and made a huge throw to senior WR Quentin Birch in the fourth quarter to get Regis Jesuit into scoring position again with a six-point lead, finished 11-for-17 with 128 yards passing, while he rushed for 32 yards as well. Jackson — taking a direct snap with two blockers in front of him — drove his way into the end zone in the fourth quarter for some insurance points and a capper on a game that saw him rush for 74 yards on just 10 carries, while he also had an interception defensively. Senior RB Alfred Jones added 65 yards rushing as Regis Jesuit nearly hit 200 yards on the group (193), while Birch finished with 51 yards receiving and senior WR Jack Weigand added 50. With the exception of one touchdown drive, Regis Jesuit’s defense smothered Cherry Creek’s offense to the tune of just 200 yards of total offense. Senior LB Will Kulick racked up double-digit tackles in the win — including three for losses — while senior DB Patrick Roe contributed eight stops (six solo) and senior LB Alec Hamilton added six tackles.
MULLEN: Coach Tom Thenell’s Mustangs were one a few Colorado teams to play in Zero Week and they followed up an opening game loss to Pomona with a eyebrow-raising victory over Valor Christian. Mullen racked up 25 points in the opening quarter and never let up on its way to big victory over the defending state champion Eagles…Sophomore QB Dominick Depizzol racked up 314 yards and 4 touchdowns through the air against the Eagles and now has 463 yards and 5 touchdowns in all for the season against arguably the two most highly-regarded teams in the state coming into the season. Junior WR A’Jon Vivens has hauled in three of Depizzol’s touchdown passes and 157 yards receiving, giving him 247 yards for the season. Senior RB Shammond Hamilton has piled up 310 yards (204 rushing, 106 receiving) and four touchdowns in the early going to help Mullen present a balanced attack to opponents, while senior RB Marcus McElroy also has run for 104 yards and two scores. The Mustangs defense, meanwhile, forced four turnovers and held Valor Christian to just 10 points. The Mustangs racked up 5.5 sacks (1.5 each for senior Tanner Clem and junior Nathan Dietrick), while senior Isiahia Banks made 11 tackles (in addition to a pair of interceptions) and Clem made eight stops.
Week 3: Regis Jesuit has an all-Aurora matchup with Rangeview in another A-Town Game of the Week, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at Aurora Public Schools Stadium. The teams met in last season’s 5A state playoffs. Mullen plays host to Westminster at 7 p.m. Sept. 16.